Zion Evangelical Amphitheater - Bland, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 18.304 W 091° 38.127
15S E 619308 N 4240544
Across the street from the church building, this outdoor service setting is an amphitheater
Waymark Code: WM14WZD
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 09/04/2021
Views: 3
County of theater: Gasconade County
Location of theater: W. St. Louis St. & N. Sycamore St., Bland
Pastor: Mark Farran
Phone: 573-646-3944
Across from the main building is fair weather and evening services and open to local for other events is this amphitheater church.
This church started as an Evangelical (German) church became a Church of Christ, then, in 2004, left the Church of Christ organization and became attached to the Evangelical Free Church of America.
This church must have once had a good repour with youth, because of a permanent basketball court, which is now turning to rust.
Another odd fact, this church had a short tower on the SE corner, now removed.
"The Zion Evangelical Church was started in the 1860’s by a group of immigrants from the Evangelical Synod, which was a break off group from the German Lutheran Church. They built a building and cemetery in what is now “Old Bland”. When the train line came through at the top of the hill, the town now known as Bland started to build up with stores and restaurants and homes. In the late 1920’s the church building in Old Bland burned down and so the church built in Bland. It was a brick building that now stands on the corner of Sycamore and St. Louis Streets. Two additions have been built to it in the ensuing years. In 1954 an educational wing was added and the expansion of the sanctuary, which now seats over 350 people. In the 1983 an annex was added to provide fellowship room for the youth and other church activities.
"In the 1940’s the Evangelical Synod merged with the Reform Synod, another branch off of the German Lutheran Church, and formed the Evangelical and Reformed Church. In the late 1950’s the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with two other denominations to form the United Church of Christ. In the early 2000’s the Zion Church withdrew from the United Church of Christ and in 2004 became a member of the Evangelical Free Church of American, Central District.
"The Zion Evangelical Church is now active in children’s ministries, missions both locally, nationally, and internationally. We have an active women’s ministry and a men’s group that meets for breakfast once a month. Our Sunday School offers a class for each member of the family and the worship service is a blend of traditional and contemporary styles. We are open for all visitors and welcome them with open arms." ~ Zion Evangelical Church